Currently, many medical tests are performed by examining a biological specimen, e.g., blood, pus, or urine, applied to a slide, such as a conventional glass microscope slide. Typically, the biological specimen is deposited onto the slide and, then, treated with a reagent, such as a stain, to make features of the deposited biological specimen more visible. Often, the slide is then rinsed to remove excess reagent and dried for handling by laboratory personnel.
Automated slide stainers are available which automate the process of staining, rinsing, and drying specimen slides. One type of automated slide stainer is a dip and dunk slide stainer. In a dip and dunk slide stainer, one or more reagents are applied to slides by dipping the slides into one or more vessels containing these reagent. The slides are then rinsed by dipping the slides into a rinsing vessel, supplying water (or rinse solution) to the rinsing vessel, such that the water passes over the slides, and removing the slides from the rinsing vessel. Finally, the slides are dried by circulating air over them.
Present dip and dunk stainers, however, require one process to finish before another process may be started. Some slides may require different durations of time in different vessels, depending on the slides and the reagent in the vessels. Such situations may cause backups in the staining process, resulting in delays and reducing the efficiency of the staining process. The present invention addresses this situation, among others.